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For the Love Of Nature, Art and Bad Humor
A Comic Gallery of Creative Expression in the Pursuit of Knowledge
Florida
Sandhill Crane
Antigone canadensis pratensis
A subspecies of Sandhill Cranes, the Florida Sandhill Crane is
a born and raised Floridian for life.
It’s estimated there are 4,000 to 5,000 of these
non-migratory birds hanging out in the Sunshine State.
They’ve been enjoying sunny Florida year-round for about 2.5 million years!
2.5 million years of ahhh blissful sunshine
They are often joined in the winter by
25,000 migratory Greater Sandhill Cranes, another subspecies
that look similar but are slightly larger.
Come spring, those visitors head back north again with the
rest of the snowbirds. Feathered and human.
You can spot cranes in freshwater marshes, prairies, pastures, neighborhoods, grasslands, wetlands and grocery store parking lots.
They have a 6ft wingspan!
And at 3-5 feet tall, they meet the height requirement
for most theme park rides but only weigh 7-12 lbs.
It is not known if they like roller coasters.
These lovebirds mate for life!
Cranes symbolize commitment, faithfulness and love.
They start their romantic courtship around the age of two
with fancy dances, jumps, running and wing flapping.
And vocal duets! Which are LOUD.
Crane conversations, dating and hanky-panky can be
heard from 2 miles away.
Even with all the flirting and bonding, most pairs don’t enjoy
their first successful reproduction until they are closer to 5 years old.
Pair-bonded cranes then build their nests sometime between February and April. They usually lay 2 eggs that hatch about 30 days later after both parents take turns with incubation.
Within a day of hatching the youngsters can leave the nest,
follow their parents and learn to forage.
But it takes another 70 days or so til they can fly.
They stay with their parents for up to 10 months after hatching.
Many hatchlings die before that though, from predation by raccoons, bobcats, river otters, birds of prey, feral hogs, coyotes, and alligators. Even neighborhood cats and dogs can sometimes be a problem.
The other threat facing cranes is habitat loss due to development.
If there isn’t significant foraging habitat around a nest site they
have to travel longer distances making them more vulnerable to
predators, vehicles and collisions with power lines.
Conservation is always the answer.
Which in addition to all its other benefits,
is a great way for Floridians to look out for fellow Floridians.
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